The ZM fish foods have proved highly effective for fish keepers and public aquaria working with freshwater fish and have been acknowledged in a number of scientific papers.

The ZM diets are freely available to most parts of the World as the formulations do not include any land-based animal protein or bloodmeal; for shipments to the U.S., Canada and Australia an import permit is required to meet local regulations.

Successful hatchery management starts with correct broodstock nutrition to be sure newly hatched fry have the best start available. Whilst it's acceptable to maintain general adult stocks on maintenance diets the fish designated for breeding need an enriched diet for the best quality egg production. By having quality proteins, oils, vitamin and mineral mixes in the feed formulation the ovaries are more likely to yield a greater number and larger eggs full of nutrients to power early development.

Shrimp meal is used as the protein source for the ZM fry diets as it is highly digestible and promotes efficient growth. The ZM granular and flake foods use quality marine fishmeal as the primary protein source. Omega 3 highly unsaturated fatty acids are included in the food mix to specifically aid early fry development and promote long term health.

A starter feeding guide of 4% body weight per day is commonly given to fish but we appreciate this can be difficult to assess. Ideally fry should be fed 3-4 times a day with larger fish having 2-3 feeds per day. The quantity fed should be gauged so the fish consume the food within 2-5 minutes without excess food remaining to pollute the tank.

The ZM fry feeds have proved so acceptable that clownfish and seahorses that normally only take livefood have successfully been reared on the ZM fry foods starting with the ZM-000 and ZM-100.

ZM Fry Food

The ZM Fry Diets are initially semi-bouyant to simulate live feeds and the inclusion of shrimp meal acts as a powerful feed attractant even to species that normally require livefeeds. The feed range has defined particle size bands to maximise the quantity of feed available to each batch of fry and prevent pollution from uneaten particles that are either too large or too small.

The Fry Feed particle sizes:

ZM-000: (90 microns) as an alternative to Paramecia or rotifers

ZM-100: (80-200 microns) as an alternative/supplement to Artemia

ZM-200: (150-300 microns) as an alternative/supplement to Artemia

ZM-300: (300-500 microns) on growing fry diet

ZM-400: (500-800 microns) on growing fry diet

The above pictures show newly hatched Artemia alongside ZM-100 and ZM-200 to demonstrate how the size fractions can differ and help develop a feeding strategy in the fishroom. Out of convenience it is possible to use these diets alone to rear fry but for the best results and highest survival the practise of co-feeding specific live diets alongside formulated foods is highly recommended. Apart from offering a greater range of nutrients the uptake of digestive enzymes from the livefood is believed to boost correct development of the digestive tract.

ZM Granular & ZM Premium Granular

We have two formulations of granular food that offer the fishkeeper an excellent alternative to flake feeds and are available in Small, Medium and Large granule sizes. In comparision to brineshrimp and flake foods these diets offer a big saving in day-to-day feed costs.

The granular feed has been formulated with the following aspects in mind: the use of high quality fishmeal for a balanced amino acid profile, the inclusion of essential fatty acid complexes for optimal growth and development, highly digestible energy content to maximise nutrient assimilation, and reduced feed requirement and subsequent waste byproduct pollution.

The Granular Feed particle sizes:

Small: (500-800 microns) ideal follow on from the ZM Fry Diets

Medium: (800-1200 microns) on growing diet

Large: (1200-2000 microns) on growing diet

ZM Pellets & ZM Premium Pellets

The ZM Pellet and ZM Wheatgerm floating pellets are suitable for your larger freshwater fish and available in 2.5 and 5mm pellets sizes. To boost the health of your fish these pellets include stabilised Vitamin C at 500mg/kg that is superior to many of the retail brands available. In addition, with a low oil content of 6% this means a healthier diet for your fish with less pollution at the point of feeding, and less undigested fat following digestion.

The ZM Premium Pellet is a 3mm sinking pellet using the same formulation as our ZM Premium Granular. This premium diet has worked well
with large cichlids, catfish, and aquatic frogs. This diet uses highly digestible ingredients, with elevated vitamin and HUFA content to boost health.

ZM Flake Food

Three quality flake feeds are available: the ZM Flake is ideal for freshwater tropicals, and the Spirulina and Brineshrimp flakes that are suitable for both freshwater and marine fish species. The Spirulina and Brineshrimp flakes have lovely large flakes and we have had excellent customer feedback on these products with many repeat sales.